Steve Bannon broadcasts from E. Palestine
EAST PALESTINE — Steve Bannon, former President Donald Trump’s chief strategist, was in town Tuesday to let residents know they haven’t been forgotten.
The live broadcast took place at The Original Roadhouse, 333 W. Main St., throughout the day and presented a series of reports called “Abandoned.” A flyer hanging outside the event touted the program, along with the message “How the Biden Administration Neglected East Palestine.”
The event was sponsored by Real America’s Voice, a group that calls itself a “media solutions firm” that allows content providers, agencies and advertisers to “deliver the country’s first audience-driven news platform.”
The 5 p.m. event brought a standing-room-only crowd during happy hour. Village resident Tammy Tsai said she and her husband, Rick, started the Facebook page, “East Palestine off The Rails” to get the community involved.
She said her husband wants answers, so he checks a nearby creek every week and sees rainbow colors floating toward the surface.
“What are we supposed to do?” she asked Bannon during his “War Room” segment. “We’re not getting any answers so people are searching for answers themselves.”
Bannon’s daughter, Maureen Bannon, who lives outside Richmond, Va., was on hand to support her dad.
“We all know the mainstream media is not going to shine a light on what’s going on,” she said. “They just want it to go away.”
Resident Christina Phillips, a Roadhouse server, said she lived near the derailment but moved farther into town shortly before the accident. She said she’s had sore throats and “was coughing up blood for a bit there.”
Bruce Weaver lives on East Martin Street, steps away from the derailment. “It happened right behind my house,” he said, explaining he’s had sinus problems, watery eyes and a raspy voice since the accident.
The event will take place again today at 6 a.m. and noon, and officials said Trump was so inspired by Tuesday’s program
that he will call into the show at 9 a.m. To listen live, log onto
johnfredericksradio.com/abandoned.
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